NYC-BASED CELEBRITIES ORGANIZE A 'GET COVERED' TOUR FOR THE FAST APPROACHING AFFORDABLE CARE ACT DEADLINE

YANDY SMITH & JUELZ SANTANA

The Affordable Care Act deadline is fast approaching. NYC-based celebrities and community leaders banned together Friday to organize a #GetCovered tour through three of the city’s five boroughs, share their personal healthcare stories and spike enrollment in New York City by the March 31st deadline.

The one-day tour travelled to Brooklyn, Harlem and the Bronx. Public figures including Congressman Charlie Rangel, realty TV personalities Yandy Smith, Tionna Smalls and Jennifer Williams, and rapper Juelz Santana gave a press conference at Harlem’s famed Sylvia’s Restaurant.

The event was organized by political strategist Valeisha Butterfield Jones, community advocate for the Bronx Michael Blake, civil rights activist Tamika Mallory, President of YP4C Brian Benjamin and human rights activist Marvin Bing.

More than 5 million Americans have already signed up for the Affordable Care Act and millions more are encouraged to sign-up at http://www.healthcare.gov by March 31st.
Organizers of the event said they hope leveraging the voices of community leaders and trendsetters will have a huge impact on the final count of enrollees in the state of New York.